Mars Exploration Rover Update - October 29, 2007

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Continues Studies of Rocks on "Home Plate" -
sol 1343-1347, October 29, 2007:

Spirit is healthy and continues to investigate "Home Plate." After
completing extensive studies of "Site 3" using the Moessbauer
spectrometer and other instruments, the rover proceeded toward "Site
4."

Meanwhile, it's already time for Spirit to start thinking about winter
again. Over the coming weekend, the rover was scheduled to acquire
long-baseline stereo images of Home Plate and surrounding areas in
search of a safe winter haven.

The grinding encoder on Spirit's rock abrasion tool appears to have
suffered the same fate as that of Spirit's twin, Opportunity, on the
other side of Mars. An investigation is under way, but all indications
are that activities using the rock abrasion tool will now require two
Martian days, or sols.

On sol 1346 (Oct. 16, 2007), Spirit drove approximately 10 meters (33
feet) toward Site 4 and added another 12 meters (39 feet) of driving
on
sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007).

Sol-by-sol summary

In addition to receiving morning instructions directly from Earth via
the high-gain antenna, returning data in the evening at UHF
frequencies
via the Odyssey orbiter, measuring atmospheric dust levels (known as
tau
measurements) with the panoramic camera, and surveying the sky and
ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, Spirit
completed the following activities:

Sol 1343 (Oct. 13, 2007): Spirit restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer
and collected data for 22 hours with the instrument from a target
called
"Humboldt Peak." The rover acquired remote data from a rock target
known
as "Mt. Eolus" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and a
6-by-1 image mosaic with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1344: Spirit restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and resumed
data
collection from Humboldt Peak for 23 hours. The rover acquired spot
images of the sky and a 4-by-1 image mosaic with the panoramic camera
and collected remote data from a rock known as "Pikes Peak" using the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1345: Spirit resumed collecting Moessbauer data from Humboldt Peak
for another 23 hours. The rover acquired remote data from a target
dubbed "Mt. Sneffels" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer
and spot images of the sky with the panoramic camera. Spirit monitored
dust on the rover mast assembly.

Sol 1346: Spirit ran tests on the rock abrasion tool and stowed the
robotic arm before taking pre-drive images with the panoramic camera
and
driving about 10 meters (33 feet) toward Site 4 on Home Plate. The
rover
acquired a 5-by-1, post-drive image mosaic with the navigation camera
as
well as a 4-by-1 mosaic with the panoramic camera. The rover took spot
images of the sky and foreground images with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007): Spirit conducted a pre-drive survey of the
rover's surroundings with the panoramic camera and drove another 12
meters (39 feet) toward Home Plate Site 4. The rover acquired a 7-
by-1,
post-drive image mosaic with the navigation camera. Spirit also took
images of dust in the sky, conducted a survey of rock clasts, and
acquired images of a rock target called "Conundrum Peak" using the
panoramic camera.

Odometry:

As of sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007), Spirit's total odometry was 7,286
meters
(4.5 miles).